Last week I had coffee with a writer friend to chat about stories we both like. She is very much into gothic romances and I'm sure if I didn't include Carmilla into our classic books collection on BookieJar she would feel offended. :) Fortunately I like it too although I felt a little haunted after reading it. - The side effect of getting close to a beautiful vampire girl!
Then we talked about some more serious topics. One of them is publishing printed books vs. publishing online.
It is every writer's dream to see his/her books on the bookshelves in bookstores (and refill requests keep coming)! And imaging a reader who really appreciates the book reading it next to the fireplace on a snowy winter night!
However waiting and dreaming is not enough. At this digital age we should leverage the existing platforms as much as possible. I'd like to share my opinions about why publishing online can be very helpful for writers. Making eBooks that are available on varies eReaders will be a separate topic later.
· First of all, it is faster and easier.
Publishing online is one of the most efficient ways to get your writings out there. With the traditional publishing process, there must be tons of talented writings never get the chance to be discovered.
Do you know these facts? There were eight publishers rejected Harry Potter ‘Philosopher's Stone’ before it was accepted. Twilight's first fourteen attempts to book agents were not successful. Five went unanswered, nine brought rejections.
· Secondly, the cost is much lower.
Publishing online is paperless and there is no need to handle shipping, stocking, damaging, returning. Therefore the price of the online books can be much lowers. As we all know, a competitive price always helps to bring in potential readers. Just think back about Black Friday.
And the cost for a writer to publish books online can be low as well. I'll post a compiled list of initial cost of the major online publishing services soon. Some services are free to start with, I'm proud to say that BookieJar is one of them. :)
· Reach more audience.
If your book is online, you can use social medias to help you to reach more audience such as facebook, twitter, youtube, ... You can also send a link of your book to friends and readers and they may forward it to their friends. The word spreads much faster than the snail mail time and not just limit to people who know each other.
· No location limitation.
A book online may get readers from all over the world. There is no more location limitation with the Internet. What a nice surprise to if someone in Yorkshire tells you that your story reminds him of Wuthering Heights!
· Provide updated information about yourself and your other books.
Next to your online book, you can provide related information and keep it updated. Readers will be able to know more about you such as your BIO, your interests, and your other books. If they like one of your books, chances are that they'll like your other books too.
· Know your readers and connect with them.
Publishing online gives you the chance to know your readers, see their feedback, and build connections. It will be very rewarding to see your fans following you and asking what happens the next. Even if that means you have to stay up another night to continue your story.
